Bull with cracks in feet

[Sweepa]

Our bull has been lame now for two years and had significant cracks in his front left and right feet. One is slightly deformed with curvature. He has serviced cows perfectly but I'm leaving sucklers and I want to get rid. What should I do with him? Have a foot man look at him and try repair somewhat ? Or just take him to the factory? He is about 850kg but factory prices for a 5 yr old will be poor. I believe he still could service cows , but who wants to buy a lame breeding bull? (Even very cheap)

 

[Northeastfarmer]

You won’t be able to take anything lame anywhere...get a foot trimming man out so try and sort them.

 

[Davy_g]

Sand cracks are hereditary.
I’m sure you have had his feet looked at during the two years he was lame, what did your trimmer say?
Get shot of him, live market maybe.

 

[Chopsy Varmint]

Might not be sand cracks. Cracks in horse feet are often due to seedy toe (anaerobic infection within the white line which spreads up the inside of the hoof wall and destroys structural integrity) and they won't heal up without intervention. If you clean off the bottom of the foot you'll see a black area in the white line which can be opened up by your trimmer and will reveal a hole, similar to this perhaps:

With a small, thin nail or bradawl the trimmer can go poking up inside the hole to remove as much of the black infected material as possible. It won't be painful and the trick is to get the gunk out from the far end of the infected channel. Usually the length of the external crack corresponds to the extent of the internal infected channel.

Then the trimmer should pack the hole with this stuff:

https://www.equinepodiatrysupplies.co.uk/product/hoof-stuff/

Basically it's zinc oxide and honey with some cotton threads for substance, so anti-fungal and anti-bacterial packing. It's damn sticky stuff and from experience it stays in best if you use small rolled-up balls (about 3mm diameter), as many as necessary to poke up and fill the hole to the top of the crack inside. The process is easier if you pre-prepare the balls and have them ready in the upturned lid and pick them up from the lid on the tip of the nail or bradawl to poke them in - saves much swearing from sticking your fingers together.

I also smear some of the 'juice' from the packing down the front of the crack just to be sure. From there on, you leave the packing in place. I don't know how often your trimmer comes out to you but if the cracks are deep it would be worth repeating the process in a month or so's time. Ideally you leave the packing in place and it will grow out with the hoof as the cracks heal up.

It's a bit fiddly but I reckon your trimmer could show you how to do it yourself. I've taken on horses with long-term infected cracks and packing with Hoof Stuff has fixed them.

If it's sand cracks causing the problem you will probably have some seedy toe underneath which will require the same treatment. However a hoof with a sand crack requires maintaining good foot balance to keep the horn tubules together and the crack tight from the top down.

 

[Optimus]

Get a trimmer to look at it other wise the bull will be worthless.if it has crack it could have a stone in it.

If you have any more lame cows get them together make it worthwhile for the trimmer to come in.worst that's gonna happen is it gets bandaged an blocked.soon as its walking better sell it

 

[som farmer]

nobody will want to use a bull, with foot problems, get shot, if he works, his foot must be 'weight bearing' so could go to abattoir.

 

[Treg]

Zinc salt blocks & biotin will help with cracked feet , also Arnica tablets would help.

 

[Sweepa]

nobody will want to use a bull, with foot problems, get shot, if he works, his foot must be 'weight bearing' so could go to abattoir.

He certainly walk no problem, even still jumping up but has a limp.

 

[betweenthelines]

Walks with a limp but "no problem"?

Why have you waited so long to get him sorted?

 

[Hfd Cattle]

Had the vet do one of our bulls yesterday . Minimal attention but just get him going enough to get him gone . As soon as he is out of withdrawal he will be booked in and gone . Plenty of life left in him but continual lameness is no good .

 

[som farmer]

with many more eyes about, walking through the countryside, these people know nothing, about animal welfare, and no reason they should, but they do care about animals, and are increasingly ringing both RSPCA and the ministry, about animals, they see while walking through the country, that they 'think' are cruelly left.
While we know, usually, they are not left, they don't, and both RSPCA and min, have to investigate, and once they are involved, it can lead to serious hassle, as we have had on several occasions, never been anything found wrong, but the sheer number of complaints, presumably by 1 person, leads to the position, of rspca and min, believing there must be something 'wrong', especially, if someone 'new' looks at the file. It is not only stock, outside, we have been 'reported' about stock inside as well, meaning someone, has been looking around your buildings. For us, it meant hassle for nearly 3 years, and we sold the sheep ! So, for us, we do not keep anything 'dodgy' about, because, at any time, those inspectors, could have found something wrong, the fact they didn't, is lucky, as we all have, at some stage, something under treatment, or seeing if it will improve, or even awaiting collection, by NFSc, as we have had.
The point, is that we hope, gen public will buy our produce, and pay our subs, them seeing 'cruelty' whether real, or assumed, doesn't put us in a favourable light. So, don't keep dodgy stuff around. Probably sweepas bull is fine, but does jo public think the same ?

 

[Sweepa]

Walks with a limp but "no problem"?

Why have you waited so long to get him sorted?

I have had a foot man out to see him last year. It seems there is only so much I can do

 

[ffukedfarmer]

I bought an old bull last year who went lame with a big crack in his rear foot not long after getting him home. The foot trimmer came out twice to him, but he’s been sound ever since and has sired some great calves

 

[som farmer]

and we reared a jersey bull calf for our use, he had to go this week, 16 months, 2 hfrs served, and he turned nasty over night. Such are bulls.

 

[Farmer Keith]

I have had a foot man out to see him last year. It seems there is only so much I can do

Should of probably followed that visit up with another 6 weeks later, once a year isn’t nearly regular enough if he has problems.